Morocco opens temporary hospital in Casablanca for COVID-19

Rabat - A temporary field hospital started receiving the COVID-19 patients in Casablanca, Morocco's economic hub, to help deal with the growing number of infections in the city which soared on Tuesday to 1,753 out of 6,418 in the country. The temporary health facility, located on an area of 2,000 square meters at the International Fair of Casablanca, has a capacity of some 700 beds. The facility it divided into four medical zones, totally isolated, each one with dedicated medical staff. It hosts six intensive care units, a facility for biological analysis, along with several examination rooms and offices.

Initiated by the local authorities, the construction work which began on April 6, cost approximately 4.5 million U.S. dollars. Morocco on Tuesday reported 137 new COVID-19 cases, raising the tally of infections in the country to 6,418. The number of recoveries increased by 180 to 2,991, while the death toll now stood at 188, Mohamed El Youbi, director of epidemiology at the Ministry of Health, said at a daily briefing.